Traveling-plant mixer



y 1959 H. L. GARDNER TRAVELING-PLANT MIXER Filed July 26. 1956 IN VEN TOR.

HAROLD L. GARDNER BY DES JARDINS, ROBINSON 8 KEISER HIS ATTORNEYS United States Patent 2,885,934 TRAVELING-PLANT MIXER I Harold L. Gardner, Redlands, Calif.

Application July 26, 1956, Serial No. 600,217

' 13 Claims. (Cl. 94-40) This invention relates to a machine for efiecting inplace mixing of soils and aggregates with a suitable stabilizing agent and, more particularly, to. a mixing machine embodying a new and improved device for completely dispersing the stabilizing material throughout the soil or aggregate being treated and for thoroughly mixing it therewith.

. Modem construction specifications for roads, airfields,

I by previous methods.

Patented May 12, 1959 Another advantage of my type of apparatus is that it places the spray nozzles in a location where they are not apt to be damaged or clogged by the aggregate being hurled thereagainst.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved type of traveling mixer for introducing a stabilizing agent with the soils and aggregates to be treated.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for introducing a stabilizing agent, whether in the form of a liquid such as water or bituminous material, or in the form of a solid granular material such as calcium or sodium chloride, or Portland cement, from the center of the rotor outwardly against the material as it is pulverized by the rotor.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mixing machine employing a new type of rotor construction for accommodating my coaxially mounted spray bar.

With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent from the following description, the invention includes certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts, the essential elements of which are set forth in the appended claims, and a preferred form or embodiment of which will hereinafter be described with reference to the drawings which accompany and form a part of this specification.

incorporates means for agitating and blending the soils and aggregates, which means usually takes the form of arpower driven rotor provided with protruding blades, fingers, or tines for pulverizing and mixing together the materials. The machine also contains a device for introducing bituminous or other liquid binders, including water where soil cement is employed, to the soils and aggregates. The latter device generally consists of a transverse pipe containing nozzles for producing a spray of the liquid against the outer periphery of the rotor, or on the materialjust ahead of the rotor.

In all presently known types of mixers employing the introduction of liquid stabilizers or binders, only a portion of the materials'to be stabilized come intodirect contact with thebinder spray or with the liquid binder deposited thereon. Consequently, particles of the soils In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a traveling mixer incorporating my invention with parts broken away to show the internal construction thereof.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 3--3 in Fig. 2.

Similar reference characters designate similar or identieal elements and portions throughout the specification and throughout the different views of the drawings.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, the traveling mixer takes the form of a two-wheeled buggy which, as shown in Fig. 1, is adapted to be drawn by a tractor 10 of conventional design. The mixer is provided with a frame which includes side frames or plates 11 which are held in spaced relation by means of suitable cross-bracing provided therefor. At the rear end of the frame are two pneumatic-tired wheels 12 which are journaled on an axle 13 and aggregates not originally coated by the stabilizing agent; or binder must be coated by being brought into contact with the coated particles in the mixing operation so as to permit the uncoated particles to pick up some ofthe stabilizing agent through contact with the already mixer frame and thereby raise or lower the latter with coatedparticles. This transfer must, of course, be effectedbefore'the stabilizing liquid sets up or congeals. In all of the known types of mixing machines, a number' of mixing operations or passes are normally required in ordertto achieve a thorough dispersal of the stabilizing agentthroughout the body of the material.

In order to provide a more eflicient means for mixing the stabilizing agent with the soils and aggregates, and in forderto reduce the need for repeated passes over the material being processed, I have devised a new type of mixer in which the liquid stabilizing agent or binder is sprayed outwardly from the center of the rotor against the material to be stabilized. As the machine travels along, and as the rotor slices and pulverizes the material over which it travels, the spray contacts all of the material as it is churned about by the rotor. In this manner, all of the particles receive a uniform coating of the stabilizing or binding material thereby reducing theiiecessity of repeated passes and producing a resultant mixture of the soils and aggregates with the stabilizing agent which is far superior to that achieved supported between a pair of triangular plates 14 journaled on the rear end of the mixer frame by means of stub shafts 15. A fluid pressure cylinder 16 is provided for rocking the plates 14 about their pivots 15 so as to raise or lower the wheels 12 with respect to the respect to the ground over which the mixer travels.-

Situated between the side frames 11 and rotatably journaled therein is a rotor 20 which is adapted to be driven by a motor 21 mounted on top of the mixer frame. For this purpose, the rotor is provided with a sprocket 22 which is driven froma sprocket 23 on the motor shaft by means of a chain 24. As shown in Fig. 1, the motor 21 also drives a pump 25 which withdraws the stabilizing agent from a suitable tank (not shown) and delivers it through a pipe 26 into one end of a spray pipe 27 passing through the center of the rotor. The stabilizing or binder material, is emitted from the spray pipe 27 through nozzles 28 in a forward and downward direction as indicated by the arrows 29 so as to impinge against the soils and aggregates contained in a windrow 30 as they are being pulverized by the rotor.

.To elevate the material in the wind-row 30 against the rotor and prevent it from passing therebeneath, the mixer is provided with a blade 31 extendingtransversely between the frame plates 11- and supported thereby.

The construction and mounting of the rotor 20 is best understood by a reference to Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings. As therein shown, the rotor comprises a pair of circular end plates 35 and 36 between which extend a plurality of circumferentially spaced V-plates 37 and support bars 38 which are secured at their ends to the plates 35 and 36. The V-plates 37 and support bars 38 thereby provide a plurality of triangular members extending at intervals across the rotor so as to furnish supports for the blades 39 which are held in place thereon by means of angles 40 secured to the bars 38. The V-plates 37 and bars 38 are further supported at intervals along the length of the rotor by means of circular disks 41 which are notched to receive the V-plates 37 and apertured, as indicated at 42 (Fig. 3), to receive the spray pipe 27.

The rotor is journaled between the side frames 11, as shown in Fig. 2, by means of roller bearings 45 and 46 so as to permit rotation of the rotor by means of drive sprocket 22. The bearing 45 is supported on a hollow trunnion 47 secured to the frame plate 11, the outer race of the bearing being held within a bearing sleeve 48 mounted in the end plate 36 of the rotor. The other end of the rotor is provided with a complementary construction which includes a hollow trunnion 50 mounted in the end plate 35 of the rotor and serving as a support for the inner race of the bearing 46. The outer race of the bearing is supported in a bearing sleeve 51 formed on the frame plate 11.

The spray pipe 27 passes through the hollow trunnions 47 and 50 and is held fast within the trunnion 47 so as to be maintained stationary with respect to the mixer frame. The opposite end of the spray pipe is journaled within the hollow trunnion 50 so as to permit the rotor to turn with respect to the pipe.

The spray pipe 27 is connected at one end to the delivery pipe 26 by means of an elbow 55 and is closed at the other end by a cap 56. Hence, as the stabilizing agent is delivered through the pipe 26 into the spray pipe 27, it will be emitted through the nozzles 28 in a downwardly and forwardly direction and will be permitted to spray between the blades 39 of the rotor and thereby come into intimate contact with the pulverized soils and aggregates being mixed about by the rotor. The V-plates 37 tend to deflect the spray and direct it between the rows of blades so that it has free access to the material being processed.

Referring to Fig. 1 suitable hoods may be provided above and behind the rotor 20 to prevent the material agitated by the blades from being thrown about. The rotor 20 is driven by the motor 21 in the direction of the arrow 60 so as to cause the bottom of the rotor to move into the windrow 30 in a direction corresponding to the direction of travel of the mixer which is indicated in Fig. 1 by the arrow 61.

While I have described my invention in connection with one possible form or embodiment thereof and have used, therefore, certain specific terms and language herein, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is illustrative rather than restrictive, and that changes and modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims which follow.

I claim:

1. A vehicular apparatus for effecting in-place mixing of soils and aggregates with a suitable stabilizing agent comprising a movable frame, a cylindrical rotor mounted on said frame for rotation about a transverse horizontal axis, said rotor having circumferentially disposed wall sections at spaced intervals to provide openings alternating with said Wall sections, a transverse spray pipe disposed on the said frame in coaxial relation with respect to said rotor and provided with spray orifices along its length for uniformly distributing the stabilizing agent to the soils and aggregates lengthwise of the rotor through the openings between the wall sections of said rotor, driving means for said rotor, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced elements projecting outwardly from said rotor and extending substantially the width of the frame for pulverizing the soils and aggregates and mixing them with the stabilizing agent delivered from the spray pipe.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said spray pipe is stationary and said spray orifices are disposed downwardly and forwardly for spraying the stabilizing agent onto the soils and aggregates below and ahead of the rotor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the direction of drive of said rotor by said driving means is such that the bottom of the rotor moves in the direction of travel of the apparatus.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 including a transverse blade supported on said frame and lying immediately beneath said rotor for directing the soils and aggregates upwardly against the bottom of the rotor. v 5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said rotor in-' cludes a series of axially extending bars circumferentially' spaced about the periphery of said rotor for supporting said spaced elements.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said bars are triangular in shape and are disposed with the base of the triangle facing outward. v

7. A vehicular apparatus for effecting in-place mixing of soil and aggregates with a suitable stabilizing agent comprising a movable frame, a cylindrical rotor disposed transversely of said frame, said rotor having circumferentially disposed wall sections at spaced intervals to pro-' vide openings alternating with said wall sections, means supporting said rotor on said frame for rotation about its longitudinal axis, said means comprising a bearing sleeve on one end of said rotor and a hollow trunnion on the other end thereof, a hollow trunnion on oneside of said frame cooperating with said bearing sleeve, and a bearing sleeve on the other side of said frame cooper ating with the hollow trunnion on said rotor, and a spray pipe extending through said hollow trunnions, provided with spray orifices along its length, for delivering a stabilizing agent outward from the axis of said rotor to the circumferentially disposed openings, for admixture with the soils and aggregates to be stabilized.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 including a plurality of spaced elements projecting outwardly from the periphery of said rotor for pulverizing the soils and aggregates and mixing them with the stabilizing agent delivered from the spray pipe.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said spraypipe is non-rotatably mounted in the hollow trunnion on said frame and journaled in the hollow trunnion on'said' rotor.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 including means for driving said rotor in a direction such that the bottom of the rotor moves in the direction of travel of the apparatus.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 including a transverse blade supported on said frame and lying immediately beneath said rotor for directing the soils and aggregates upwardly against the bottom of the rotor.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said rotor ineludes a'series of axially extending bars circumferentially spaced about the periphery of said rotor for supporting said spaced elements.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said bars' are triangular in shape and are disposed'with the base of the triangle facing outward.

(Other references on following page) 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS Jack Mar. 7, 1922 McConnaughy June 26, 1934 Yett June 15, 1937 Gardner Aug. 17, 1937 Crowder Feb. 27, 1940 Guernsey Mar. 30, 1943 

